Crimson Jade
by natanije
Summary: She's both what she is and what she is not. Light and dark, joy and sorrow, social and solitude. She's the Eighth Princess of the Kou Empire, Ren Kougyoku. (But she's not). Self-Insert.
1. Chapter 1

The Eighth Imperial Princess is a strange person.

Perhaps it's to be expected from someone whose mother was a prostitute, who gained the luxury of living in the palace's wing simply because the child she gave birth to is clearly the Prince's daughter.

Deep red hair and pink eyes, the one Princess who bears the name _Crimson Jade_ , as given by the Prince the very moment her existence was discovered, is a quiet child with a strange gaze. She's a cute child, albeit very small even for her tender age of four, but even the chubby cheeks and round eyes can't make the maids and servants around the wing let it pass so easily.

Princess Kougyoku is a very, very odd child.

Her round eyes seem to see everything and nothing, sometimes focusing on a scenery or a person for a long while until the poor subject is sweating bullets, before moving on to something else for her gaze to settle onto. Other times, she seems to see something other people _can't_ see. Superstitious people will say she's seeing ghosts; which is perhaps understandable with the belief that animals and small children are more aware of things that can't be seen by the naked eyes. But even so, her gaze always seems to either focus on something or move around following _something_.

It's fair to say that some of her personal maids and servants are rather… _disturbed_ by this.

But other than that, she's a joy to be around.

Perhaps it's because of her cute face, puffy cheeks and round eyes, but other than her strange demeanor, she's fairly polite, even for someone her age. Her bluntness is still there and her servants have tasted such blunt words coming out of her mouth before ( _"You are being rude_ " or _"I don't want it, so you can have it"_ ), but it's strangely endearing. She doesn't demand much, for she's a quiet child. Her servants take this as the Princess being shy which, for them, is adorable. And yet even so, there's this energy that seems to bounce off the Princess to her surroundings, especially when her bright pink eyes seem to find something else worth giving her attention to. Her smile is small, sometimes bordering polite, but the servants take it as an honor for their usually quiet and reserved small Princess to give them a _smile_.

(Some of them find themselves thinking that the Princess is treating them as an equal).

(They sometimes find themselves shaking their head, wondering exactly _why_ do they even think like that? It's unbecoming, especially from mere servants as them).

(The daughter of a former whore or not, she's still the Princess of Kou and there is never a chance that she'll have her servants as her equal, no matter her age).

(But still, sometimes-)

( _Sometimes,_ when the Princess hold their hands, when the Princess smiles at them, when she gives them her dumplings and candies, when she offers them her precious jewelries—)

(They can't help but to think that their Princess is truly, _truly_ strange).

(And kind).

(She's very kind).

The Princess loves new things, the servants are quick to realize.

While jewelries and cute toys given by her mother will take her interest, such interest is bound to dwindle down very quickly, and soon enough she will bounce to another thing that catches her interest.

 _Books_ , though, oh how much she loves books.

Her mother doesn't seem to realize this just yet—understandable, think some of the more stuck-up servants. She was a whore, after all. What does a prostitute even _know_ about books?—but the Princess' servants are very much aware of this fact.

(Considering that one of the soldiers guarding the Lotus Wing where she resides in had been dragged by the Princess herself to teach her to read and write at the tender age of three, well, it's a fact that is very hard to overlook).

(Now it's even _weirder_ that the Princess' mother hasn't realized this yet).

(They _live_ in the same wing for God's sake).

Their Princess is very smart, but even that is a bit strange considering children her age will prefer playing other than sitting in her room and practicing her writing.

But Princess Kougyoku is a smart, cute child with a kind smile, and her servants love her regardless of her strange quirks.

Now if only she'll stop wandering around and making her personal maids get replaced or worse, _executed_ , they'll love her _more_.

* * *

He and his mother are shunned.

He and his mother aren't exactly loved.

He and his mother aren't exactly _needed_.

Even so, his mother smiles as if nothing is wrong.

She smiles merrily, laughs the laughter similar to chimes of bells that scratches his ears. His mother loves him dearly, hugging and patting him, humming and laughing as she dresses him up, plays with his hair and simply having a whole lot of fun.

Kouha, well, he endures.

His mother is happy (is she? Is she _really?_ ) and that is enough for him, he supposes. But mother can't take care of herself, which is why he takes it upon himself to take care of her while he lets her play.

It doesn't matter that he's only four. He knows what he's doing and there are servants—afraid and full of pity his four year old pride and bitterness does not want to receive—helping him in taking care of his mother.

He knows what he's doing.

(He knows he's abandoned).

(He knows his mother is abandoned).

(He _knows_ ).

(He knows that, so it's a surprise when he finds a girl in his wing).

Chubby cheeks, hair near the shame shade as his, pink eyes.

It does not take long for him to realize she's his _sister_ , from whichever woman that ape Koutoku led to his bed.

(He _knows_ ).

It does not take long for a hateful sneer to make its way onto his face either.

The girl blinks in surprise, round pink eyes slightly going wide, clearly not expecting such a harsh welcome.

Kouha, well, he does not give a shit.

Hateful words come out of his mouth, ones that he knows will either make the girl cry or angry or scared enough for her to run the hell away from this side of the palace, and he's even prepared to scratch that pretty face until it scars, as a bonus.

He does not expect for her to be calm.

He does not expect her to soften her gaze and looks at him with _understanding_ that shakes him to the very core.

(It's not pity, he realizes).

(Why isn't it pity?! He knows how to deal with pity, but it's not).

(It's not pity, it's understanding and it's strange because surely, _surely_ it's only his mother who has this illness that causes them to be shunned from everybody else, so why—)

" _Mania?_ " She says a word that he does not understand. She licks her lips, suddenly looking grumpy at the lisp she has while uttering the unfamiliar word and her eyes are settled on his mother who is crouching and writing things on the wall, and Kouha feels his shackles rise.

"You—"

"Mm, _izz eet_?"* She says again, perhaps purposefully ignoring him, and Kouha has to wonder if the girl is insane too, because what even. " _Kent rilly sey, have tu puroperuli diaknos eet. Das tis pelese even have psikolojist? Meybi,_ dukun _? Sims mor laik eet._ "

She taps her chin with her finger, finally settling her gaze on him again, and there's this glint in her eyes that he doesn't know whether it's something he should be wary of or not.

"Hello," she says to him, properly this time, her hands clasped together and hidden under her robes as she smiles pleasantly, the polite yet kind and honest smile looking a bit strange on her chubby cheeks, "you're my brother," she says matter of factly.

Kouha narrows his eyes at her, miffed and suspicious.

"Who are you?" He says, still harsh. "You're not my sister, whatever that dumb Koutoku may say."

The Princess tilts her head to the side, her gaze assessing. "Prince Koutoku," she starts, slowly and politely, "hasn't really said anything to me, other than giving me a new name."

Kouha doesn't bother restraining his snort. "Oh, really now?"

"He doesn't really care," she says bluntly, "though my… mother does get called to his chamber sometimes." She blinks a few times, looking blank despite her cute looks. "I don't really care."

Kouha feels a sneer making its way onto his face once again, his jaw muscles twitching in annoyance. It's jealousy he's feeling, he thinks, because she doesn't _care_ and he _does_ and it's _annoying_.

"Hey," she cuts him off before he can even start his rant, and Kouha really wants to gouge her eyes out considering how she's looking at him straight in the eyes with no hesitance or fear whatsoever, "Can I spend time with your mother?"

" _Haaa?!_ " Forget gouging her eyes out, he's going to _stab_ her face. "Why are you asking that? _Kouha_ doesn't want to spend any time with you, so piss off!"

She blinks. "Kouha?"

"That's Kouha," he points at his mother, "and I'm Kouha's mother. So I get a say in who Kouha gets to spend her time with! And it's a _no_."

"Okay," she agrees easily enough, seemingly totally unperturbed which is, seriously, _what_. Her hands move from their hiding place as one of them raises up to poke his cheek, much to his surprise. "But I'll still think of you as Kouha, if it's alright. Kouha _is_ your name, right? Or you have a name before Prince Koutoku gave you Kouha? Hm."

"What?" He finds himself at a loss for words, staring at her in confusion. But she simply smiles, tilting her head slightly once again.

"For me," she says, pointing at him, "you're Kouha, my brother, and that's your mother." She points at his mother.

"Say, Kouha," she continues as he remains silent, a strange feeling of warmth creeping up in his chest as she smiles at him, "what do you say about trying to make your mother feel better?"

* * *

Kougyoku, he learns, is a miracle worker.

She talks with mother, which is weird enough of its own—because people generally try to avoid interacting, much less touching his mother. There's a reason why Kouha used to think he's his mother's sole caretaker after all—and she actually makes her mother slowly, painstakingly slowly, to interact back with her.

At first it's the same old mother who is too hyper and happy about everything.

("It's going to be slow," she told him, "and she's probably never going to recover, _ever_.")

("But do you still want to try?")

But then, she's suddenly able to be reasoned with.

(He said yes).

She still acts like the mother he knows of since he was born but she's also _different_.

Kougyoku has said about never learning medicine and not knowing about _chemiikals_ or whatever it is, so that she can only provide words and encouragement. But… She helps. Her methods _help_ , even if only for a very small fraction.

Mother is still mother, but—But now he can be Kouha, he thinks.

At least, in front of his half-sister, he can be Kouha.

("You'll still be Kouha, my brother, for me.")

* * *

Princess Kougyoku of the Kou Empire is an odd child.

After another pair of maids get executed for allowing the Princess to wander off for so long that she ends up in Kouha's wing, which is in the _exact opposite_ of her wing and obviously _very far away_ , she is thrust with an assistant and guards who follow her 24/7.

Although seen to be slightly put off, the Princess shoulders it with grace and simply allows the guards to follow her as she regularly visits another oddity within the palace, where a mentally ill mother and her violent son live in.

It takes one to know one, some people suppose. Princess Kougyoku is, after all, rather strange, despite being a well-mannered child.

Some people wonder if the oddity will continue on until her adulthood.

Some people wonder if she'll pick up more odd people along the way.

The Princess herself, however, doesn't bother with the people around her nor on how they're a bit perturbed by her newest friend and brother.

She simply looks up, and where normal people won't see anything but a blank white wall, further cementing their beliefs that their eighth Princess is a bit strange, she sees small flying things, in the shape similar to poorly drawn birds or butterflies, shining with a yellow light, chirping and circling.

Kougyoku smiles.

* * *

 **I… have no argument to defend myself. I got sucked into Magi (again. Why do I keep on getting sucked into my old fandoms?!) and then got frustrated at the lack of SI or OC fics that I can genuinely like. Therefore, out of spite, I am writing this.**

 **Oops.**

 **I won't be abandoning my other stories, obviously; I'm just into Magi at this moment. Will probably shift back to Naruto or AssClass soon enough. Let me indulge myself, would you?**

 **Anyway, as you can see, this is a Kougyoku SI fic. (Not completely SI, so maybe more of a semi-SI?) Let's hope I can make this into a wonderful fic and change some canon (coughSinbadcough). Lots of aspects about Kougyoku won't be shown until later on in the story, in hopes that I can create a mysterious atmosphere.**

 **I hope you can like this story! Review, please?**

* * *

 **Next time:** _He wonders if it's okay to steal the Princess away. Surely, her father won't mind. He has a lot of children, after all._


	2. Chapter 2

**EDIT (22/9/17):** Added some new contents, added some more words, changed up the initial plot a little bit.

 **A heads up for the usage of the word "whore": while I don't like that word, because it's degrading considering its context, I am merely portraying what the characters in this story are thinking, and thus it is used in this chapter and perhaps some more whenever the context comes up. Just so you don't get squeamish when the word does come up. I think it's necessary to put this because I reread the first chapter and the word "whore" made me feel bad.**

XXX

She meets more of her family around three-or-four months after her first meeting with Kouha.

The Princess, now nearly guarded 24/7 safe from when she's in her room, bathroom, or Kouha's room, was a bit perplexed, and perhaps rather resigned, when she found a preteen—not yet even reaching the age of fourteen—Ka Koubun introducing himself as her newest, loyal assistant.

She knows of Ka Koubun—although not the one currently telling her of her schedule for today with sweet, polite words as they walk toward Kouha's place—who followed the real Kougyoku and became her Household Vessel, who caused her 'scandal' with Sinbad of the Seven Seas, who, despite that power-grubbing tendencies, stayed _for_ Kougyoku and guided her, and she knows the real Kougyoku loved him, the other Ka Koubun, as her loyal servant—or even, for the lonely, sentimental Princess, Ka Koubun was a friend.

This Kougyoku and this Ka Koubun are different from the one the Eighth Princess remembers, if only because _she_ is not _that_ Kougyoku.

But she doesn't really care.

This is, after all, her life now, despite on how fake this world should've been, despite on how she, in a way, remembers the concept of Destiny in this world and can't help but to resent it ( _everything that will happen to this world and everything that will happen to_ her, _Kougyoku, is destiny? Kougyoku is willing to rip this world a new one if someone dares to try to make her believe such a thing. She is Kougyoku, her own person, and she will_ not _bow down to Destiny if Destiny tries to make her into something_ not her _, thank you very much_ ), and also causes her to be very skeptical towards it—

( _Everyone is born with the right to choose their own future_.)

( _Everyone has their own will_.)

( _Even in this world marked by Destiny, she still believes so_.)

( _Even if there is a possibility that the existence of the fluttering black birds resting on her shoulders is a way to mock her and her beliefs about her Destiny.)_

She is the Eighth Imperial Princess now, despite its shitty title considering the Father who sired her doesn't even _visit_ because surely a 'Princess' deserves some actual parental love other than wealth _,_ it is best for her not to dwell on the World She Knows Should Be, but rather focuses on the life and world she has right now.

And so, it was with some difficulty in pronouncing some words that she told Ka Koubun, that she has not earned his respect or loyalty just yet, and that she appreciated his attempt nevertheless, and promised to give him a reason to _at least_ love her enough as Princess.

Ka Koubun's stunned face was amusing, that day.

She is eternally grateful, however, that Ka Koubun is lenient enough to let her wander back to Kouha's wing, even though Ka Koubun and her other two royal guards— _they call themselves as maids but she has seen their eyes and… they're not eyes of normal maids_ —Sa Seien and Sa Seiko—have to accompany her all the way to Kouha's place, they're respectful enough to let them be and hang out with Kouha's guards and servants outside while the two royal children chat, play, or take care of Kouha's mother.

Kouha's mother is… an interesting case.

She seems to be a vulnerable person, very fragile and rather 'open' with her emotions, which probably causes her easy descend to her mental illness, which Kougyoku _thinks_ as mania but even then she hasn't got the tools or tests ready to really diagnose the woman, and Kougyoku isn't that overconfident to say she knows all mental illnesses down pat, which limits what she can do for the woman who obviously needs help.

( _She was just a student, not a professional_.)

( _Not yet._ )

Still, she is rather happy to see her communication and reflection tactics, as well as some behavioral thrown into the mix, are somehow enough to make the woman at _least_ capable to listen to what Kouha has to say. The boy needs his mother after all, and no matter how ill his mother is, Kougyoku can easily see how she loves her son.

She doesn't know what causes her to snap, but she casually adds the stress of giving birth to a Prince's son as one of the defining factors, as well as the many whispers that keep on circling around the Palace about the 'nasty whore' Prince Koutoku managed to knock up.

Humming pleasantly, she averts her gaze politely as Kouha throws a knife—wherever he gets _that_ , she doesn't wanna know—toward the gossiping passerby, busying her hands to slowly knit a green scarf, one that she intends to give to the boy when she's done with it.

Even when Kougyoku is there to be with Kouha and his mother, Kouha's violent tendencies never really go away.

Oh, he's sweet toward her, alright; and after a few trials and errors, he's pretty docile around Ka Koubun and the Sa Sisters. He even calls her Akari, a name that was given to her by her prostitute of a mother before the royalty swooped in and said her name is Kougyoku. Kougyoku is a nice name and all, but Kougyoku has a certain fondness toward Akari, and toward her own mother in particular, who is so sweet and kind and caring, and honestly despite the sudden shift from a life in the den to a life in the palace (despite on how ostracized her mother must've been, being a non-royalty at that), Kougyoku is glad her mother manages to get a taste of a life full of luxury. The kind woman does deserve that, after all.

It's a pity that she is not allowed to choose which name she likes best. It's a blessing that she can allow the people closest to her to call her by that name, which is surprisingly seen as a great honor. While Kouha and his mother as well as the stoic Sa Sisters actually agree—the latter more because of her pouting—Ka Koubun proves to be a stuck up who refuses to call her that other than Honorable Princess or Princess Kougyoku.

And because Kougyoku is nothing but petty, Ka Koubun is bound to taste her teary pouting and huffing until he gives in and actually calls her Akari when they're in private.

Suffer, Ka Koubun. _Suffer_.

…Anyway.

It's a plus that Kouha likes hugs and so does she, and whenever Kouha gets bored of trying to maim other people within the castle, they usually end up cuddling while talking about nonsensical things, mostly with Kougyoku telling him of fairy tales she remembers off the top of her head.

The days are peaceful, so to say, with reading, writing, etiquette lessons as well some others shoved to her small hands coupled with

And then, well, the brothers appear.

Her other brothers, that is.

What alerts Kougyoku of their arrival is Kouha's enraged screech, that stops the Princess' slow knitting process, as well as a scream that very clearly says, " _BIG BROTHER!_ " from an unfamiliar voice, who is _not_ an adult.

Kougyoku stays still, frozen.

Never before she's heard Kouha sounding _that_ angry before.

Bloodthirsty, yes, and particularly vengeful, yes; especially toward gossiping nobles who don't know when to shut up.

But this…

Frowning, the Princess stands up quickly, abandoning her knitting project to make a beeline toward the door, distractedly smiling toward Kouha's mother, and sliding it open.

The sight that greets her is of Kouha beating up a flailing teen, clearly older than the both of them. Kouha is shouting hurtful words and snarling, saying something about the pig, Koutoku.

"I'm gonna pummel you both!" Kouha shouts, not ceasing in his punches. "Then you'll see how the pig Koutoku leaves you to rot too! Because useless people deserves to die! And when people become broken we become useless!"

Her mouth opens, slightly gaping at the sight before her. Her pink eyes catches the presence of another teen, this time standing to the side with an angry line on his face—Kougyoku very nearly flinches, because that's blood sliding down his face and he looks entirely _unfazed_ —and staring at her. His gaze, she notices, is not hostile; and yet it is searching, assessing.

There is no goatee or particularly hard lines on his face, but that gaze and that hair are enough for her to conclude—correctly at that—that the teen staring at her is her older brother, Ren Kouen.

Granted, she's not supposed to know his name yet, because Ren Kougyoku is nearly similar to a black sheep in the royal family and she isn't exactly that well received other than within her circle of servants and guards—who luckily seem to like her enough thanks to her politeness and all—but she is pretty certain that this teen with a knife wound on his face— _Kouha never does things halfway, doesn't he?_ —is Kouen.

Then… The flailing teen who is _still_ being punched by Kouha is… Koumei?

…Oh dear.

XXX

 **Yes, if you haven't figured it out between the lines, Kougyoku is toeing the line between actually cursing fate thoroughly (because of the concept of _free will_ ) and being totally indifferent about it; which makes her having both white and black rukh at once. There will be more things added in the future chapters that will explain her predicament, so please be patient. And _no_ , she's not a Mary Sue and I'll do my damn best not to make her one.**

 **A fun fact, though, she has more white rukh than black rukh.**

 **But while the black rukh is only few and mostly out of sight thanks to the abundance of white rukh covering it (a matter that will change slowly as the story progresses), the fact still stands that Kougyoku doesn't really follow Solomon's rukh's great flow.**

 **In this chapter, we introduce Ka Koubun who will suffer more pouts from Kougyoku in the foreseeable future, more depth in Kougyoku's character, as well as… some Koumei pummeling. Poor boy. Kouen and Koumei will get their dialogues in the next chapter, and I have decided to scrap the idea involving Ithnan, sorry.**

 **Review please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Big Brothers**

She knows there will come time when she'll meet her older half-brothers, mainly Kouen and Koumei, but the half sheltered, half ostracized Princess (because of her ex-prostitute of a mother) thinks it ought to be far, far later. Granted, she's made herself known to sweet, murderous Kouha—mainly because she remembers of a story of a world such as this but way, way different, where there existed a Prince forgotten in his youth and left behind because of his mentally ill brother, who didn't meet any odd Princess who was his half-sister, and Kougyoku, _her_ , became curious of this worlds, her world's, forgotten Prince—so perhaps it's bound to happen, this sudden meeting.

Still, it would've been better if they meet in a calmer situation. The boring, stilted conversation through tea would've been more acceptable than this, sort of.

Kouha is still screaming, Kougyoku distantly notices. He's busy throwing insults after insults, hurtful words meant to stab and prod until the victim bleeds while he's also trying to make them bleed for _real_ , but Kougyoku knows, _knows_ that if there's anyone truly hurting—non-physical wounds, at least—that person would be Kouha.

Still, maiming the older prince is probably not the right course of action— _where_ are Ka Koubun and the Sa Sisters, you ask? They are stationed pretty far away, and they have grown used to Kouha's violence streaks ( _"As long as you are safe from harm, then what the prince tries to do is none of my concern, Honorable Princess,_ " was what Ka Koubun said to her, still accompanied with that blasted title of _Honorable Princess_. Seriously, why is her personal bodyguard so stiff all the time?) so perhaps they're thinking that this is merely Kouha maiming some random nobles, not the _Prince_ —and thus Kougyoku has to act fast and stop this before an eye or a limb get permanently lost, or something equally horrifying.

Taking long, purposeful strides toward the three of them—and Kouen is _still_ staring at her, which is a bit creepy and honestly unsettling—Kougyoku places a hand on Kouha's shoulder, and Kouha must've gotten used and recognized the size of her hand, because the boy doesn't make a mistake of assuming that the hand is Kouen's and strikes her or something, but he simply stops, turning his head around to face her with an expression the mix of anger and hurt.

It is at the sight of that expression that she realizes, _oh,_ she'll gladly bleed for this child.

This lonely, hurting child, who obviously loves her enough in return, for he lowers his fist, albeit a bit reluctantly, before standing up to stand beside her, looking a bit glum, and leaving Koumei, slightly beaten and blinking dazedly on the ground before the older male makes an effort to raise from the ground.

And it is at this moment that the previously eerily silent older Prince decides to speak.

"You have good form," Kouen states clamly, blood still dripping down his face. "Especially with the blade."

Silence.

Both of the ostracized royalty stare at the older teen, feeling slightly incredulous.

Kouen gaze then shifts to her, assessing yet warm.

"Excellent defuse," he praises her in turn, and Kougyoku feels more apprehensive than anything, though there's warmth creeping up her person over the praise and acknowledgement from the one she knows as her older brother. Still, she's a Princess and she has her manners ingrained in her—Ka Koubun's royalty etiquette lessons _do_ end up stuck in her, go figure—therefore she bows lightly ( _never too low, Princess,_ Ka Koubun says, _unless it's the Emperor of Kou_ ) to the older Prince. She lets out an affirmative, mumbling out a thank-you to the Prince and hoping that she doesn't sound as frazzled and skittish as she truly is inside.

When she looks back at Kouen's eyes, she finds well-guarded thoughts in them and absolutely no judgment whatsoever, and she thinks, " _ah"_.

So this is why the characters from That Show were so willing to follow this man, this leader, this _King_.

Already there is some sort of aura around him, the sort of self-assurance and confidence, perfected with the regal way he presents himself. With their father still being the Second Prince, not the Emperor, Ren Kouen is not the Prince on the line of succession, no, but rather he is bound by duty and blood to serve the Princes from the current Emperor's line, and yet despite so, Kouen is no doubt, a royalty.

( _There's also the white birds that chirp happily near him, circling and circling and circling—_

 _This boy, he has a great Destiny ahead of him._

 _Kougyoku sees, Kougyoku remembers, Kougyoku stays silent._

 ** _That Destiny, she can destroy it._**

 _…_

 _The Princess purses her lips. That's not nice. **Of course it's not. What is she even thinking?**_

 _She ignores the whispers at the back of her head, and chooses to focus on reality instead._ )

Feeling a bit subdued, Kougyoku reaches over near her to lightly brush the back of her hand with Kouha, who is silent and haven't really thanked Kouen for his praise. The young Prince's hand twitches upon contact, before he goes to the next level— _as always_ , Kougyoku thinks rather fondly to herself, _he's so extra_ —and ends up grabbing her hand instead, both of their hands lacing together perfectly and comfortably as if it has always been like this from the very start.

( _If Kouen notices that both of the young nobles seem to be more relaxed than before, then he doesn't say anything about it._ )

"The punches were strong too," another voice joins in the conversation, and Kougyoku blinks in surprise as Koumei pats his red cheek with a hand, grimacing lightly at the sting he receives from said action. No doubt he'll get some bruises on his bodies in a few hours.

The freckled teen sighs, intelligent eyes sweeping over the little Prince and Princess; the two of them standing side by side, seemingly to be so at ease with each other and comfortable enough for a prolonged body contact.

"You know, people avoid you because you act like this," Koumei points out, seemingly wanting to cross his hands but stopping himself in the middle of it, no doubt feeling some pain on his torso as well. Kouha really didn't pull on his punches. The second eldest brother glances at her, "and people avoid her because she's with you."

Kouha stiffens, his jaw tightening as he prepares a no-doubt angry words full with the intent to hurt and laced with his own pain, but Koumei beats him onto it, nodding to himself as he speaks.

"But if you use that strength to gain a place in the military…" He hums, "You can get people to actually _respect_ you."

"I don't _need_ to make people respect me!" Kouha spits out, enraged, but Kougyoku knows that his words are full of lies.

The two brothers seem to realize this as well, as they simply stare solemnly at the young Prince.

She squeezes Kouha's hand in comfort. Both not daring to speak up now and also rather interested in what the two brothers have to say to this.

She doesn't really expect a _blackmail_ , though.

Though, remembering the Koumei, the brilliant, _brilliant_ tactitian he was in The Show, she really shouldn't have been so surprised when he says, loud and clear and foreboding:

"That way, people won't respect our sister, either."

Kouha freezes, then. He turns to her, looking at her as if the world just crumbles upon him and very, very afraid and there's anguish in his eyes alongside with his perpetual anger and hatred and _no, no, no, this is not right_.

"That is fine," she finds herself saying, staring evenly at the brothers'—especially Kouen's—eyes and _daring_ them to contradict her, to challenge her. "I believe respect is earned, not given out so freely over the expense of another."

There's a glint in Kouen's eyes, then, alongside with a small twitch of his lips and Kougyoku doesn't know what it means, not really, and she doesn't think that she _really_ wants to know about that.

Then, not really expecting it—because of _course_ the two brothers give surprise after surprise to the two young nobles—Kougyoku startles at the much larger hand landing on her shoulder. The Princess jolts, staring wide eyed at her eldest brother who is still having that glint in his eyes and he says then, voice dripping with pride and assurance.

"As expected from my sister."

Oh.

 _Oh._

If this is how Kouen plans to win his siblings over, then it is a great plan indeed.

Face flush with pleasure, she tightens her hold on Kouha's hand, and glances at the young Prince for reassurance. The eldest doesn't seem to miss it as he says too, "you, too, brother."

Kouha's eyes snap to the eldest, his apprehension clear on his face.

"…Brother?" He says then, weakly, quietly, as if afraid and unsure and _this_ , this is what neglect does to a child, this is what constant rejection from family and nobles and even servants alike does to Kouha, her beautiful brother who loves both stabbing and hugging people, who she loves and who loves her back in equal, _if not more_ , measure. It's the anger, the hatred, the anguish, the uncertainty ( _where? Where? Where do I really stand on this family? Who am I? What am I? Do I even **worth** anything?_) and loneliness that comes out from this stupid arrangement the Second Prince of Kou made over the existence of a mental illness.

Kouen and Koumei seem to realize the heaviness of the atmosphere, for the latter shuffles on his feet awkwardly, while the former simply nods.

"Whatever the others said about you, your mother or our sister, it doesn't matter for us," Kouen says, bluntly. "You're our brother. That's never really going to change."

Koumei nods along with his older brother. While he seems to hesitate a little bit over his next words, he does end up choosing to continue, saying: "…It will probably take time, but if you wish to do something that can gain people's respect, and thus leaving you more room to roam in other than this Wing…" because Kouha, with his mother, is even more confined in this palace than her, who can go to some places under constant surveillance. Kouha, though? He can't go _anywhere_. He's not _allowed_ to. There are reasons why Kouha always likes to attack the people who happen to pass by his Wing, and one of them, other than anger and spite, is utter boredom.

"You can come to us," Kouen finishes for Koumei. He looks at him, and he looks at _her_ , as he says, eyes narrowed but calm and composed, "And you can learn how to use blades."

Kouha looks like he's about to cry.

Brushing her thumb over his, she answers for the both of them.

"…Can we think about it for a day, at least?"

The brothers blink, and Kouen nods.

When they leave, it is with slight nods that Kougyoku returns in similar manner, the garden now simply occupied with two small children.

"….They call me _brother_ ," Kouha says, then, his voice full of wonder and disbelief, that the Princess can't help but let her eyes go soft as she bumps her shoulder with his on support. Kouha needs this, she thinks, this assurance that he's _accepted_ by someone else not her or her mother.

"You are our brother, Kouha," she says to him, watching with a small smile as the tears finally fall from his eyes, silently even as his chest heaves with sobs long restrained, way too long and way, _way_ too lonely for a long time.

She squeezes his hand in reassurance.

He squeezes hers right back.

 **XXX**

 **So this chapter is… just family bonding time, I suppose. I have a plan on how the Kou siblings relationship is going to grow from here on but it's not really that fleshed out just yet.**

 **Next time: more Kou siblings interaction with an extra appearance of Ithnan, as well as a pouting Kougyoku ft. Ka Koubun the Professional Attendant Extraordinary.**

 **Review please?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Crimson Jade 04: Opposition**

 **Before we start, I'm going to answer some reviewers' comments from AO3 and FFN. If your name is not here and/or you don't want to bother, you can just scroll down and go ahead and read the story.**

 **_christineblossom03_ : Kougyoku was speaking in English; it simply sounded like gibberish because Kouha doesn't understand English. Basically, she was trying to diagnose Kouha's mom.**

 **_Guest_ : I forgot I put _romance_ as the genre in the fic to be honest… The end pair will be a surprise tho ;)**

 **_pendora59_ : Yes. Please look forward to it!**

 **_Illusionoflove_ : No Judar this chapter, sorry.**

 **I've cut this chapter short; so no Kou siblings bonding yet, sorry :'( There's flailing Koubun though, so I hope that's enough.**

 **Enjoy reading!**

XXX

Ka Koubun is appalled.

Scratch that, he's _beyond_ appalled.

He's taken his job as a personal assistant fairly well, that he can pride himself with; Princess Kougyoku is a low-maintenance royalty, often times preferring to take care of herself more than relying on her maids and servants. He's heard of the horror stories of taking care of the Princesses, mostly on how they're so complicated and demanding and hard to follow, especially the younger ones. Therefore when Ka Koubun was first told that he was to take care of a young princess, he had been afraid; afraid that he would end up messing up and having his head taken off as a result. He's heard of Princess Kougyoku's escapades, of her managing to sneak past her caretakers— _how_ , he had no idea, and even after weeks of being with her as her assistant, he still doesn't know, mainly because she's so well-mannered around him, what the hell—and how she has befriended a murderous cast-out Prince who is also her half-brother.

When he first came as her assistant, he expected a snotty, albeit smart— _because he's heard of her efforts in writing and reading, and he acknowledges an active mind when he hears of one_ —little girl he has to painstakingly obey and bow down to.

A sneer has appeared in his mind, even though his serious-faced façade is as unbreakable as before. She's the child of a lowly prostitute, and yet simply because she's sired by a Prince, she manages to become a royalty whom people bow down to. Such is the system in this place and Ka Koubun might had resented her a little bit for it.

But instead, what he saw was a small, cute child with round pink eyes staring up at him quizzically as he said his introduction, who titled her head and simply after a few seconds of absolute silence, gave him a small smile of acknowledgement.

And the Princess continues to surprise him day by day, night by night, even to this day.

He's seen the eyes and gazes of the guards and maids and servants around the place, especially the ones who have served the Princess and her ex-prostitute of a mother since the very beginning. While there are mixed opinions regarding the mother, it is the Princess that intrigues him the most.

Because the servants, the maids, the guards, they _respect_ her.

He's seen it in their gazes whenever the little Princess waddles around in her big and complicated kimono, whenever the Princess makes eye contact with them and freaking _nods_ at them in greeting ( _She used to bow shallowly at them in greeting, much to his extreme horror, but Ka Koubun was quick to fix that mistake. It wouldn't be a problem if she did that to other royalties, but she was doing that to servants, and that was unacceptable. She had looked at him funny when he proceeded to scold her about that_ ), sometimes even calling them by their names (" _Good morning, Ryou-san!" She chirped one morning, bounding over to one of the young guards as she asked: "How is your wife and child?" How she managed to know that the guard's wife had just given birth to a son a day ago, he didn't know until he found out that she regularly_ talked _to the guards and asked them about their day and all that. Once again, what the hell)_.

There's fondness in their eyes, adoration, and respect.

And when the Princess told him, one day, that he hasn't really found a reason to respect her, not yet, and that she's willing to try to give him an actual reason to, Ka Koubun thought he understood a little bit.

The Princess is down to earth, capable of great ideas ( _not the making mount lava one, though, that one had been a disaster and Prince Kouha was too happy to pour "lava" down the royalty's back)_ , and very, very kind. He doesn't know if it's because she's lived very few years as a prostitute's daughter before she was found and acknowledged as a Princess, or if it's simply her disposition to be kind and charming. She _sees_ her servants and _acknowledges_ them, she sees _him_ and acknowledges _him_ too, if her gradual easy smiles, amused look, and the understanding gaze she keeps on throwing at him are any indications.

The servants respect her.

He wonders, sometimes, beyond his hunger for power and fame and authority, if he can someday see the Princess in her all greatness, sees her using all her potential to the fullest, sees her for who she is and acknowledging her, adoring her, respecting her, just like the other servants who have already found themselves snug in the Princess' tiny little grip.

Perhaps that full blown respect, the _loyalty_ (because he's seen it too, how the servants will sometimes sneak extra snacks to the Princess' plate, how small toys and things are given to her by maids and guards, the handkerchiefs with the Princess' name sewn onto it, the way the guards willingly let the Princess ride their backs sometimes— _Ka Koubun screamed the first time he saw it_ —or how the older guards would tell her stories of their journeys and missions inside and outside of Kou. They're no mere Kou Empire's guards, servants or maids, no. They're _Princess Kougyoku's_ , and that's saying something) will someday come and faster it will come, if the Princess will stop stressing him out at the random possible moments.

She's low maintenance, really, and generally well-mannered.

But when she acts out, she does it with _dedication_.

Such as this one.

How the hell, a small, little, cute and pretty Princess like her manages to get an offer for swords training?! From her older half-brothers, apparently, who she met when Ka Koubun looked away from her for just a _second_. A SECOND of some slack, and now it bit him in the ass. Seriously, how the fuck.

And the Princess isn't even acknowledging such poor judgment from her brothers either—because what else an offer such as that could be other than a _terribly poor judgment_?—simply blinking and batting her eyelashes at him innocently when he scolds her upon that subject.

"Princess, with all due respect, you can't possibly really go to such a thing! Such, such training for your small body is uncalled for! You're still in your early youth, Princess, it is advisable to take another course for the time being—"

"When are you going to call me Akari when we're alone, Ka Koubun?" She wonders aloud, staring up at the ceiling, and Ka Koubun has to suppress a whine, because this is not the time for this, Princess!

"Princess, please."

The Eighth Princess scrunches her nose cutely at that, before a small sigh leaves her lips as she gazes at him speculatively. "I believe, Ka Koubun, that my brothers know what's best for me," she nods sagely to herself, "not to mention that the master must be someone capable enough of knowing the regimes suitable for my age. Besides, Kouha will want me to be with him. Or do you want to perhaps handle his sulking for me?" Ka Koubun almost blanches at that, because Kouha may sulks when facing Princess Kougyoku, but with other people he very much prefers anger and cruelty and to stab other than sulking and asking for cuddles. And hell shall freeze over before Prince Kouha asks him to _cuddle_. Everyone knows he's only cute around his mother and sister; and even then Princess Kougyoku never takes an extra effort to stop the Prince from trying to maim any random passerby, simply choosing to hum and look at butterflies in the garden serenely as if there isn't any bloodbath happening near her.

Frankly, sometimes Ka Koubun doesn't know which one is scariest, the small demon trying to maim people or the other one with an angelic face pretending to be oblivious to everything.

"Ka Koubun," the Princess cuts off his thoughts, placing a hand on top of his ( _and if there's another thing he notices, is that the Princess is not above casual body contact with people who should be beneath her in status_ , _and he wonders, sometimes, if this is also one of the reasons as to why her people likes her so much_ ), her gaze gentle and perhaps a little bit amused. "It's fine; don't you think that to be capable in swordsmanship is going to better for me in the long run?" Here her lips tilt up a little bit, a small glint of something in her eyes, "especially against _predators_."

Ka Koubun thinks his brain might have short-circuited a little bit.

And no, he's also pretty certain he doesn't imagine the sudden protective, murderous stance from the Sa Sisters either, because did the Princess just insinuate that there are pedophiles in the palace grounds, _oh my God—_

Let it be said that after that, the Princess is given the chance to practice swordsmanship by Ka Koubun.

( _Later on, when Kougyoku whispers of her story to Kouha, he'll snicker so loud, that a noble passing by ends up thinking that there's a rather gruesome trap planted in the hallway, ready to decapitate him if he ever steps into the Prince's territory_ ).

XXX

If Ka Koubun hysterical opposition is one crisis averted, another comes in the form of the swordsmaster himself.

Araki Mataemon is his name.

The master is a fat man with big built and large moustache, who despite his figure still manages to move like any deadly magnificent soldier, as he clashes sword again and again with one of the royal prince, whom Kougyoku cannot figure out whether he's Ren Hakuyuu or Hakuren.

The problem doesn't come when he sees either of the Royal Princes, her older half-brothers or Kouha, whom he accepts with a loud laugh and vigorous nods of his head, claiming that soon he'll have Kouha swinging swords like it's his extra appendage, all boisterous laughter and pride oozing off of him like waves.

The problem comes when Koumei proposes the idea of her learning swordsmanship.

The master's eyebrow raise, and when he gazes at her, the man scoffs, cold calculating eyes mocking her figure. The refusal is obvious, and even more so when he says, loud and clear, that he does not teach little Princesses how to play with swords.

It is at that moment, Kougyoku thinks, that she can understand why she doesn't see Hakuei loitering around here.

Kouha, the absolute sweetheart, bristles from where he's standing beside her, and the Princess has to grasp his hand to stop him from launching himself at the man. Koumei is gazing coldly at the man, but she can see that he expects this too, if his resigned soft sigh is any indication. Kouen, though, he's staring at her, for reasons unknown to her, and perhaps, she thinks, _perhaps he's curious_ , of her reaction, of how she'll retaliate, of how she'll get out of this, of whether she'll back down or fight back.

And, well, Kougyoku can humor him, perhaps. Besides, she's not exactly pleased with Mataemon's easy dismissal either. She knows there will be time when she'll get training—because she _remembers_ of that world and how the other Kougyoku trained alone and _fuck that_. Fuck destiny, remember? She's doing this _her_ way—but if she can get herself an early training alongside Kouha, then why not?

Nothing's wrong with early, proper training from a master who _surely_ knows suitable training regimes for her that will not stunt her growth.

Therefore, it is with a hum of interest, that she steps forward, eyes narrowed and lips curled in a neutral, polite smile toward the swordmaster, that she prepares herself to speak.

(Beside her, Kouen's lips curl up into a smile, and it goes unnoticed by her).

(Koumei _shivers_ ) _._

XXX

 **Remember Kouen's menacing smile when he demanded the Truth from Aladdin? Yeah, he's definitely having that atm.**

 **I'm cutting the chapter short, so no cute Kou siblings interaction this chapter. Ka Koubun somehow takes over the stage, therefore I decide to cut it here so next chapter we can focus more on the Kou siblings dynamics!**

 **Who else expected #sexism to attack? You'll get a cookie if you did. Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this small dive into Ka Koubun's head (he's pretty smitten with the Princess already, he just doesn't know it, the dork). I'm excited to see how he'll grow as her loyal assistant, so I hope you're in the same boat as I do.**

 **Review please!**

XXX

Visit my tumblr natanije, don't forget to donate (if you want)!


	5. Chapter 5

**I have come from the world of the dead**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 05: Facade.**

* * *

If there's anything Kouha knows for sure about his dear Akari, his half sister, is that she's the sweetest person available on Earth… If she likes you, that is.

He hasn't really seen it in full power, merely glimpses of what she could become whenever she overhears the snotty nobles around the palace grounds mocking and bad mouthing the people she deems as precious, from her personal servants to her mother, Kouha himself and his mother.

He's seen shadows appear briefly on her face, a vicious look in her eyes that screams _murder_ , only to be reined in with impeccable control.

He doesn't really like it; he likes a free individual who does not contain themselves, which is mainly why he's as vicious as he is known to be right now.

(He's Kouha now—he's no longer his mother, and his mother is no longer Kouha).

(He's Kouha, his own person, and he'll stay that way until the day he dies, thank you very much).

And yet, at the same time, he also realizes the necessity of it: the constant way Akari regulates herself and keeping tight reins on herself, only letting go when she's with the people she knows she can trust. (And he always feel so _blessed,_ to be able to be in the list of the people she trusts with her whole heart). He knows how it's important. Especially for Princesses such as his beloved Akari, sired by the fat pig Koutoku who can't keep his saggy balls to himself, knocking up a prostitute without a single care in the world, probably mouthing off about how she's _lucky_ she got the privilege to bear his child, the asshole.

He's heard of tales and threats from nobles alike, about kicking the ex-prostitute out of the palace grounds, letting her crawl back to the brothel she once lived in, all because she has no noble blood.

And yet, the poor woman is still here. Badmouthed constantly, called by Koutoku to spend nights with him sometimes (he wants to _barf._ Akari just blinks _innocently_ everytime it happens and one time she even casually commented on how "a little sister might be nice". Kouha wants to unhear that _so badly_ ) but still present and living and taken care of in the palace, well fed and living in luxury.

The woman obviously loves her current living quarters, and it's clear she loves taking care of Akari even more so, if her showering Akari with gifts and cuddles and smooches are any indication, really.

(Perhaps, she knows that she has limited time living in the palace. That she is practically running out of time to spend time and take care of her daughter who has the misfortune (or fortune) to carry noble blood).

Later on, Kouha found out from the annoying, new personal servant, stiff Ka Koubun (he refuses to call Akari as Akari, and even though Akari simply huffs and pouts about it because she's just a sweetheart to the people she's fond of—and somehow Ka Koubun is within that list, Kouha doesn't even know why either—it pisses Kouha off. Akari is Akari, _dammit_ ) that during one of her disappearing escapades around a week before she got Ka Koubun literally trailing behind her everywhere like the stiff stalker he is ( _"I'm an assistant!" Ka Koubun flushed red when Kouha accused him of such, the only sign of his losing composure. Meanwhile, Akari merely hid her smirk behind her sleeve),_ she somehow managed to bump to the god _damn_ Emperor.

The _Emperor_.

According to Ka Koubun, Akari was lucky she didn't get executed for _bumping_ on the Emperor. In actuality, Kouha thinks the Emperor was just being a decent human being for not executing a child for that reason alone, but whatever.

(That was the reason why the maids at that time got executed, to be honest. They got punished for letting a small child roam around the palace by her own self. As if Akari isn't mature enough to protect herself, Kouha scoffs).

Anyway.

Apparently, Akari had _accidentally_ let it slip that she's reading Kou Empire's history books, asking the first Emperor many questions about the unifying force between the three countries that once fought against each other. She also _accidentally_ let it slip that her mother had encouraged her to read books and even started giving her books as presents after the many plush toys and jewelries, and the history books are few of many.

The Emperor had kindly led her back to her wing after their short discussion.

( _That,_ gave the servants heart attacks. He heard some of them even started to froth at the mouth, possibly because the thought of their first Emperor, doing such a thing is near impossible for them to handle).

The Emperor never really showed his face again near Akari or any of Koutoku's other children bar Kouen and Koumei, but after that, the mutterings about kicking the woman out lessened considerably. After that, her mother came with scrolls filled with simple writings of history and folk tales for children, given to her by the _Emperor_ for _Akari_.

After that, Ka Koubun kinda died a little bit inside, but Kouha doesn't really care, so whatever.

Akari had smiled to him that day, as she held the scrolls in her hands, as if sharing a secret.

He wholeheartedly believes she _knew_ what she was doing.

(By the Lords, he _loves_ her so much).

.

.

And that's the biggest glimpse of her devious personality that he manages to see whenever she "acts out". She's still the sweetest half-sister he ever manages to gain the blessings of knowing, but he's not blind to know how she restrains herself and "lets go" in the most roundabout way possible, and if that doesn't excite Kouha, he doesn't know what.

It doesn't stop him from getting pissed off whenever people bad mouth her, though.

Which is why when Mataemon made such an easy dismissal of Akari, Kouha has to keep a firm grip on Akari's hand lest he tries to maim the old coot. Akari's hand is warm and comforting, and the constant rubbing of her thumb on his skin manages to calm him down a little bit, even if he's still angry.

Akari looks calm, as always, constantly reigning herself to the point of it being believable if you don't know who she really is. Because Kouha can see the shadows on her face, the cold calculating glint in her eyes and the slight downturn of her lips to know she's far than calm.

Far than pleased, in fact.

But still, Akari lets her mouth to curl up in a polite smile, jagged edges expertly hidden beneath her pink eyes. It's not Kouha's style and yet it's another brand of cruelty nevertheless, and Kouha lets himself shiver in anticipation.

Because once again, Akari _lets go_.

"Ah, of course, do forgive me," Akari's voice is sweet like honey, not the kind of sweet she usually gives to her precious people and Kouha wants to snicker, truly, but that'll blow everything and _ah_ , he doesn't really want Akari to pout at him.

(He's really _really_ weak for her).

At the moment, Akari has her hands hidden underneath her sleeves as she demurely smiles toward the aged swordsmaster. She tilts her head slightly, her smile still sweet as she regretfully sighs. "It's a bit uncalled for, for me to hope there's any swordsman good enough to be able to handle little girls."

Mataemon's jaw drops, and Kouha has to physically restrains himself from cackling.

One of the Emperor's sons snorts. He's covering his laughter with his hands, his shoulders shaking with barely controllable mirth. The other Imperial Prince is seen obviously biting the inside of his cheek to prevent his laughter. Thanks to that, Mataemon's face is steadily growing red, and Kouha thinks he likes them a little better now, even if they're the Emperor's sons.

"I have been told," the Princess continues, her tone patronizing, "that there's a very capable swordsmaster out here. He's even able to make training regimes for boys like Kouha. But I guess it's a bit too presumptuous of me to think that a _man_ can make proper training regimes for _girls_."

"Y-You—" Mataemon looks like he's seconds away from combusting now, such a funny sight to see, considering Akari is smiling pleasantly as if nothing is wrong. The Emperor's sons are still trying to stifle their laughter, while Koumei, Kouha notices, looks pretty pleasantly surprised.

Kouha stifles a smirk, biting his lips to prevent any sort of accidental laughter pouring out, as well.

"I was simply being kind, girl!" Mataemon is fuming, pointing at Akari rudely as he shouts out the word _girl_ like it's an insult. Akari raises her eyebrow at that gesture, the picture perfect model of composure. Even from this view alone, anyone who sees would think of the swordsmaster as nothing but pathetic.

"You wouldn't be able to handle my regimes, no matter what kind I give you!"

Akari sighs, faux disappointment dripping from her tongue as she does so. "Ah, it is quite alright, Mataemon-dono," she says, shaking her head demurely. "I suppose I can find a better swordsmaster who can actually teach little girls. I'm sure my capable big brothers can do it." She glances at Kouen then, her pink eyes glittering in mischievousness.

Kouen, who has been watching the situation unfold with ever increasing amusement, apparently decides to play the game, as well.

"We can arrange it," he says, calm and blunt, as if he didn't just coincidentally insult the swordsmaster in front of him by saying that there are _better_ swordsmaster out there.

Mataemon actually looks pretty purple now, it's funny.

"Bett—" He sputters, heaving. The Emperor's sons look _delighted_. "There is no one better than me to teach you all! Fine, be that way, _girl_ , I'll give you a training regime and if you back out from it, don't go crying to your father because I told you so!"

"Of course!" Akari flashes him a bright smile, tilting her head just right that she looks a little bit like a cat. "I'm _sure_ Mataemon-dono can arrange something _nice_ and _fitting_ for a little girl. I'm sure you're beneath making it deliberately harder so I'll back out from it," she purrs, the smile still present, "Mataemon-dono is, afterall, a honorable swordsmaster, is he not?"

"I—Buh—Yes, y-yes of course," Mataemon fumbles with his words, startling a bit when he realizes the situation he's found himself in. He straightens himself as best as he can, dismissing the training session early to, quote, prepare training regimes for the little prince and princess, end quote.

By the time Mataemon is out of sight, the Emperor's sons double over in laughter.

"T-That was g-gre-at— _haahahaha!_ "

"Oh, I didn't think that was possible," the other said, stifling his giggles, "that was awesome. Kouen, where did you get this one?"

"From the Lotus Wing," Kouen answers readily with a straight face, his answer being one hundred percent blunt truth, which sends the brothers into another fit of laughter. Even Koumei snorts in surprise. Akari looks pleasantly surprised at Kouen's answer, too.

"So, if I go to Lotus Wing, I can get one?"

At this, Akari hums, gaining the attention of the others. "Maybe," there's this teasing tone in her voice, and Kouha is both eager and afraid to hear what will come out from her mouth next. She bats her eyelashes innocently as she continues, "I think Mother has been trying to give me a younger sibling."

Kouha can't help it, he immediately groans in exasperation.

"Not again, I don't wanna hear about that, 'kari!" He whines.

Akari merely giggles in response, feigning innocence. "I don't know what you're talking about, Kouha."

"You're talking about _sex_ ," the Emperor's sons choke in surprise at that, and honestly, Kouha can't be blamed for giving them an unimpressed stare. Because honestly, _lame_. He quickly continues though, nudging an unbothered Akari with his elbow. "I don't wanna hear anything about _that_ when it's about _him_."

Akari shrugs, unapologetic, as is expected from her, though she makes a point to bow politely at the Emperor's sons once again, as if she hasn't just insinuated that her mother is actively having sex with the Emperor, _yuck_.

"Your siblings sure are interesting, Kouen, Koumei," one of the brothers says, giving the two youngest a smile.

"Certainly, Hakuyuu-dono," the teen answers, bowing.

"This certainly changed some things," the other, who is certainly Hakuren now that Kouha gets reminded of which is which. "Mataemon-dono has declined in training Hakuei for awhile. If he's agreed to teach you, we can arrange it so Hakuei may get proper training as well." Hakuren bends down a little bit, just so he can be around Akari's eye-level. "So, thank you for that, Kougyoku-chan."

Kougyoku smiles.

"No problem at all, Hakuren-dono."

* * *

 **This chapter is entirely in Kouha's point of view, so you can pretty much tell how it's slightly biased, lmao.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry for not updating recently. Not only I had writer's block, I'm also busy with uni and real life problems hksjkhds thank you for waiting! I'll try my best to dish out a new chapter soon (maybe).**

 **I'm having a bit of financial problems rn (my brother can't continue his education bc we don't have money... and my parents won't allow me to drop out from uni for his sake (plus it'll be waste of money if i drop out) so they have to pay for both my brother and i), so if you have money to spare, please help us out through ( p*ypal . me / natanije ).**

 **Thank you so much! I'll come back soon!**


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